I am brand new and wanted to know if anyone can help me to decide when to take my diabetic cat to the vet for constipation. I noticed him straining Monday (two days ago) and brought him in. He’s very spicy so they couldn’t palpate his colon. They told me to give him a laxative and Metamucil. I have added pumpkin as well. In addition to the little tiny poop on Monday, he did a little poop on Tuesday night. He’s been on the laxative now for two days. He’s acting normal otherwise. When should I take him to the vet?
Constipated Cat Help
- Thread starter The Liz
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CORKY
Very Active Member
Hi, you're in luck, both of my cats suffer from constipation now and then, the best medication you can use very much recommended in this forum are MIRALAX powder over the counter 1/4 tsp for about 3-4 days in the morning's meals, or you cand ask your primary Dr. for a prescription of Lactulose liquid, and make sure you get a small syringe from the pharmacist and use 1ml to 1.5ml again for about 3-5 days in morning or evening meal, if you changed diet, or started him on wet foods, it's common the change, but not more than 4-5 days without popping, also, the wet food is mostly well digested so the litter box is not used as often as with dry food that they do not digest, you can also try a few drops of mineral oil in the food, make sure he drinks water, I always put about 1tsp of water in each of their meals, to make sure their intestine are not dry, but those two laxative names I gave work wonders, there are times that they are very constipated so I interchange from one to the other. I totally was against an Anema they would have to administer sedation, plus the Vet's bill was going to be outrageous hope this helps
( these products really really work)
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Hi, you're in luck, both of my cats suffer from constipation now and then, the best medication you can use very much recommended in this forum are MIRALAX powder over the counter 1/4 tsp for about 3-4 days in the morning's meals, or you cand ask your primary Dr. for a prescription of Lactulose liquid, and make sure you get a small syringe from the pharmacist and use 1ml to 1.5ml again for about 3-5 days in morning or evening meal, if you changed diet, or started him on wet foods, it's common the change, but not more than 4-5 days without popping, also, the wet food is mostly well digested so the litter box is not used as often as with dry food that they do not digest, you can also try a few drops of mineral oil in the food, make sure he drinks water, I always put about 1tsp of water in each of their meals, to make sure their intestine are not dry, but those two laxative names I gave work wonders, there are times that they are very constipated so I interchange from one to the other. I totally was against an Anema they would have to administer sedation, plus the Vet's bill was going to be outrageous hope this helps
thank you so much! He’s now on miralax, Metamucil, and pumpkin purée. Hopefully it’s not overkill
CORKY
Very Active Member
Be very careful not to give all three at once try the Miralax for a few days, if that does not work try the other and so on giving him all that when he gets unclogged he will have diarreah lots , and he will dehydrate on you. Do not give all three at once please, the pumpkin is really for when he gets back to normal, you can put a small amount in on of his daily main course to keep him regular ok he’ll be going in about 2 days after the Miralax, make sure he’s drinking enough water to lubricate his intestines and just wait for the results, not changing anything for a couple of days, how long has it been since he last pooped? Is the litter clean? Cats are as you know picky
Be very careful not to give all three at once try the Miralax for a few days, if that does not work try the other and so on giving him all that when he gets unclogged he will have diarreah lots , and he will dehydrate on you. Do not give all three at once please, the pumpkin is really for when he gets back to normal, you can put a small amount in on of his daily main course to keep him regular ok he’ll be going in about 2 days after the Miralax, make sure he’s drinking enough water to lubricate his intestines and just wait for the results, not changing anything for a couple of days, how long has it been since he last pooped? Is the litter clean? Cats are as you know picky
shoot, his vet said it was okay to give him all three. He’s still pooping each day so far it’s just a very small amount and hard and pebble-like. The litter is clean or at least scooped every day.
CORKY
Very Active Member
Sorry to say this, he could’ve prescribed for starts the Lactulose, and Defenately not all those there or just the Miralax, Vets at time over prescribed just so you have to go back, and I don’t mean to offend, but it is what it is, your cat does not need to have diarrea episodes, and if right at least his pooping which is good eventually with the Mírala alone he will be back to normal but don’stop giviing to him for one poop, every day for at least 4-5 days 1/4 tsp in the food, once he does a good poop, you can continue the Miralax 1 time a week till he’s back to normal, he’s clogged right now that’s why is hard and pebble like, he’s dry he needs the Miralax to soften that “cork” if you will, Do not give more than that for now, then you will have diarrea all over the box and your house, and you are going to have to take him back to the Vet and He will most likely suggest X-rays , blood work and them some, when all can be avoided including your baby’stress and pain
CORKY
Very Active Member
Snits
Member
Hi! My girl gets constipated sometimes too. In fact, she just was yesterday. She vomited her food and then rushed to the bathroom, did a very solid poop and then rested. I ended up syringing some water with miralax down her and then a few hours later gave her a tiny bit of food with olive oil. Next day she did some really large poops. I'm not sure if they've always been so large, but with my cat in particular sometimes she needs some help. I'll second other's opinion on miralax. When she was still on insulin I was giving her 1/4 of a tsp with her AMPS and her PMPS. Sometimes I would have to do a half of a tsp in the amp and a forth in the pm. I have noticed with lower numbers she doesn't need it regularly. The fact that your cat is passing stool is a good sign and if they're acting normal they may have passed more than you realize. Just monitor their box and see what happens. If they continue to show signs of pain/stress or are straining with nothing coming out, take them in.
That makes sense! He has pooped normally now with the miralax and I am just trying to keep him trending in that direction. Have you ever noticed the miralax cause nausea? He’s thrown up clear or almost clear liquid the last couple of nights. Since he’s diabetic, I’m glad it’s not his food but was unsure if it’s cause for concern
CORKY
Very Active Member
No no nausea 1/4 tsp on AMPS/PMPS for 4-5 days in a row will get that cork out do not be surprised if it’s long and thick Coco my non diabetic goes like 2 - 2/1 days without popping and so does Corky my diabetic boy, (just remember when they eat only wet food is completely digested unlike the dry foods that have too many carbs so they poop a lot) even with the Miralax when when she goes it looks like a python poop LOL!! just don’t discontinue the days even if he poops once he needs to get all that stuff out
CORKY
Very Active Member
Yes, if you are hopefully feeding wet can food, they do not poop every day, this food is well digested so there’s not much waste, Coco and Corky sometimes they poop every 3 days is ok, I got the same as you panicky about their poops if if you see my post called constipated you will see that it’s ok, really
CORKY
Very Active Member
Read post Constipation from Corky there are many many insights In what I went thru
There's a good website on this topic: https://www.felineconstipation.org/introduction.html
Kara & Ember
Member
When is he spitting up - does there seem to be a pattern in time of day or activity (i.e., right after he drinks water, he throws it up; half-way through the meal cycle; etc.)? and is it clear or white? foamy (kind of like when you try to wipe up egg whites, not quite a solid, but not really a liquid either) or more like water?
Any time a cat is vomiting without a known cause (i.e., scarf and barf, white foam caused by too much acid and an empty stomach, hairball, too much activity) it's always a good idea to get them checked out, especially if it's happening frequently.
It is a clear liquid as well as being the color of his wet food. He throws up every night, which is about halfway between his evening and morning meal. My sister thinks he is working on a hairball. Idk what to think, especially with him not pooping the last couple of days. The only reason I haven’t brought him in the vet is because I called and they said to give it a week to see if it resolves. He’s horrible at the vet, so they’re trying to avoid sedating him.
Kara & Ember
Member
If you can, maybe try giving him a bit of food before he normally throws up. The internet is useless when googling (it does say this can be caused by an internal obstruction or constipation, or a number of other things), but see if not having an empty stomach will change anything. Vomiting regularly can be seriously damaging to the esophagus and also could cause him to pull a muscle, so even with him being a difficult visit im shocked the vet doesnt want to see him until a WEEK of consistent vomiting.
Also, miralax and pumpkin are two different types of fiber, with different uses. I would stick to just miralax for now because pumpkin will actually add bulk to his poop (good for diarrhea), whereas miralax adds water to make it softer.
Also, miralax and pumpkin are two different types of fiber, with different uses. I would stick to just miralax for now because pumpkin will actually add bulk to his poop (good for diarrhea), whereas miralax adds water to make it softer.
Kara & Ember
Member
There are a lot of sedation options - for example even something like gabapentin (idk if you guys have tried that with him?) has a sedating effect, and it is considered extremely safe aside from allergies. Sedation doesnt always mean anesthesia, which if they say to give him food, then they probably are not going that route. When I brought Ember to the internal medicine specialist they were going to sedate her to do her ultrasound, and said they have options that they can quickly reverse, and they did not seem worried about her despite her age and multiple health concerns (ended up not needing it because she behaved like a lady, but still, they didnt even think they needed bloodwork first to check her stability)
also, does your vet usually take him away from you to do his appointment? You could see if they will allow you to stay with him to see if he acts any better - once i did that, ember starting behaving MUCH better at the vet. He’d need to be sedated for x rays to check for obstructions anyway, but maybe for normal visits and check ups it would be easier. Usually im almost like a vet tech in that i just help hold her and pet her, or even just get down at eye level with her so that she can know im there. Some vets dont like that because pets can pick up on our distress, so it would only be helpful if you can be calm during it, even when they poke and prod him.
also, does your vet usually take him away from you to do his appointment? You could see if they will allow you to stay with him to see if he acts any better - once i did that, ember starting behaving MUCH better at the vet. He’d need to be sedated for x rays to check for obstructions anyway, but maybe for normal visits and check ups it would be easier. Usually im almost like a vet tech in that i just help hold her and pet her, or even just get down at eye level with her so that she can know im there. Some vets dont like that because pets can pick up on our distress, so it would only be helpful if you can be calm during it, even when they poke and prod him.
So, it turns out Raj may be going into remission and his throwing up was a symptom of hypoglycemia from the insulin. Because he is such a spicy cat at the vet, they want me to do his glucose curve at home. Trying not to panic about trying to stick him 5 times in one day. I’m going to give him the same dose of Gabapentin he gets for the vet to make it easier for us both. In constipation news, right now he is pooping every 3 days. I have my fingers crossed that he will continue to poop with the miralax. @CORKY Do you worry if your cats don’t poop on the third day?
CORKY
Very Active Member
I used to, until I came to see that they poop when they are ready to poop, it was a struggle for me, but as long as I give them the Miralax every day for 4-5 days on AMPS/PMPS meals when 3 days goes by without them pooping, then there they go they both poop, continue the MiraLAX in the food, remember the wet food is almost completely digested, so what they actually poop is waste, they don't have as much waste with the wet food. right now neither Corky or Coco have pooped for 2 days going on 3, I use to freak out, no more, it will happen when it happens, remember, step back, breath on and breath out. I'm here if you need me to be, and if I cannot help you I will make sure to tag someone that can
Kara & Ember
Member
Oh gosh, thats scary… i’m so so glad you didn’t wait a week!! Do you normally get a mid-cycle test? You can kind of tell where his nadir (low point) is going to be based on when he was vomiting, so I’d make sure to be getting a test around that time every cycle that you can and use that to help gauge reductions.
Can you update your title to reflect the additional information (hypo)? We wanna get some folks in here to help you out with dosing and setting up the information you’ll need to provide us with in order to do so. We dont want to be giving him doses that drop him into symptomatic hypo every day waiting on a response from the vet! And if he is going into remission, the vets will likely not have the best recommendations and you’ll be potentially reducing his dosage every day, which they won’t be able to really help you with (Ember is not in remission yet, but I followed the Start Low, Go Slow method and you can see on my spreadsheet, I was reducing her dose anytime a dose dropped her below 90, and that was every day or two)
Kara & Ember
Member
Tagging a couple folks; hypo situation, possibly need some help with dosage and spreadsheet set up
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
@Bandit's Mom
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
@Bandit's Mom
Bron and Sheba (GA)
Very Active Member
Do you have a spreadsheet set up so we can see what is happening with the blood glucose?
I would be very surprised if it was from low blood glucose without other symptoms.
If it is happening at night I would try giving him food during the night as it could be from an empty tummy
I would be very surprised if it was from low blood glucose without other symptoms.
If it is happening at night I would try giving him food during the night as it could be from an empty tummy
I have just started testing him and not as regularly as I should because he’s so difficult. Once he gets more used to (less stressed) I will update with a spreadsheet. He’s had two hypoglycemic episodes in the last few weeks. The first he had a seizure and the second he kept his head down and was unsteady on his feet. Both times I took him to the ER vet who diagnosed hypoglycemia. They want me to take a break from insulin until we can get a curve. He since has stopped throwing up, so I assumed it was related to being hypo.
CORKY
Very Active Member
Sorry to hear that that’s why testing before AMPS/PMPS is so important I’m an obese Ive tester I test every two hours and if he’s in the 79-60’s I check every 1/2 hour to be sure , best to you just stay calm
SmallestSparrow
Very Active Member
Just to drag this back to constipation I want to mention a couple of things. Everyone here probably knows that diabetes can cause constipation in a couple of ways (dehydration if not well controlled, or damage to the nerves in the gut just like damage to the nerves in the limbs — I’m not a vet, the species I treat walks upright). Sometimes the nerve problems show up as diarrhea. Or if not well controlled or sudden large increases in insulin it could alter potassium and low potassium can cause constipation.
What didn’t occur to me until recently (embarrassing to admit) was Zyrtec can cause constipation (gut also has h-1 receptors). I may not be the only one who gives (gave) their cat Zyrtec. Methos used to take it only if pollen was very high but when I stopped his asthma inhalers I’d started giving it daily. He still needs miralax but it seems to work better now that I’ve stopped his Zyrtec. I’m not a vet so if you think this could apply to you discuss with their vet but I wanted to mention it
What didn’t occur to me until recently (embarrassing to admit) was Zyrtec can cause constipation (gut also has h-1 receptors). I may not be the only one who gives (gave) their cat Zyrtec. Methos used to take it only if pollen was very high but when I stopped his asthma inhalers I’d started giving it daily. He still needs miralax but it seems to work better now that I’ve stopped his Zyrtec. I’m not a vet so if you think this could apply to you discuss with their vet but I wanted to mention it
CORKY
Very Active Member
SmallestSparrow
Very Active Member
And to add one more constipated cat bit of trivia, it occurred to me today as I looked at my watch before giving Tammuz his pumpkin and psyllium treat: in case anyone doesn’t know, psyllium can interfere with oral medications taken within four hours (this is definitely the case for humans and Google assures me also the case for animals) so try to space psyllium away from oral meds (doesn’t apply to topical or injected meds)
CORKY
Very Active Member
Is Sparrow pooping now ? have you been giving the Miralax twice a day? with 1/4 tsp twice a day in the food for 4-5 days he will get back on track it is a stool softener not a Laxative
SmallestSparrow
Very Active Member
Hi Corky’s mom, I’m not the OP; I’m sparrow and Methos is my cat. I’m just passing on info about some of the medications related to constipation, I.e Zyrtec can cause/aggravate it, psyllium may work but will interfere with other oral medications if taken too close together. Technically Miralax is a laxative, it’s an osmotic non-stimulant laxative. Stimulant laxatives move things along by stimulating the gut to contract. Miralax works by drawing more fluid into the gut (so be sure kitty has plenty of water and is drinking) and doing that both moistens/softens stool and by filling the bowels more hopefully they decide to work.Is Sparrow pooping now ? have you been giving the Miralax twice a day? with 1/4 tsp twice a day in the food for 4-5 days he will get back on track it is a stool softener not a Laxative
(trying to make hug and thank you emoji but not cooperating !)
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CORKY
Very Active Member
Awesome, you must be a nurse or Dr. ?
SmallestSparrow
Very Active Member
Just a dr. Who btw often feels like a totally incompetent cat mom especially these last few months. Unfortunately little human medical knowledge translates to pets and even less to cats in particular.
CORKY
Very Active Member
Yes, you are correct, my suggestion is stop reading all that and concentrate on everything in this Forum about cats, if you click on Main Forum you will find sticky notes about everything for a diabetic cat, I know believe me it is overwhelming, but having you advantage is awesome, when it comes to human diabetes, it is quite different then a cat. You’ll be a pro on this too in no time, but you need to trust in the experts that want to help you so you won’t get confused
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